Dry battery



Jan. 4,1927. 1,613,586

H. M. ROSENDAL DAM DRY BATTERY' i Original Filed August 14,. 1923 yj Z.

Patented Jan. 4, 1927.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HENRY M. nosnNDAL DAM, or AsTonIA, NEW YORK, AssIGNon To HEINRICH GAT- T'Ixnn-TANNDR, or nArrERsWIL, sT. GALL, SWITZERLAND.

DRY BATTERY.

Original application illed August 14, 1923. Serial No. 657,288. Divided and this applicationled `December 2, 1924, Serial 110.753,421. Renewed November 2, 1926,

This invention relates to dry batteries of i the kind in which each unit is in the torni of a plate, and each plate being composed of electrodes in plate ormgbetween which an 5 electrolyte is confined.

The general ob 'ect of the' invention is to provide a more efficient plate battery than is obtainable by following the prior art. It is also an object of the invention to provide an improved method for making suchunit' plates whereby greater etiiciency electrically as well as many advantages in the manufacture itself may be obtained.

My invention, therefore, is embodied in al As a first step a depolarizing mixture is` prepared in powder form, said mixture con- 32* sisting of manganese, graphite and salammoniac in varying proportions depending upon theservice to be obtained from the battery. The mixture is nioistened with water or a suitable binder and compressed into :5.1 plate form in a mold.

The plate remains in the mold and on top ot it there is placed a layer of graphite, pulverized, which has been impregnated with an impregnating material, such for instance as melted rosin, bees wax, ceresin or like substances. The graphite layer is then compressed on top ot' the depolarizing mixture plate. j

The graphite is saturated with the impregnating material aforesaid to such an extent that it will form a plate when compressed, which shall be both impervious and conductive to an extent to permit the maximum current, also known as a short circuit current, to pass through the plate.

The plate is then removed from the mold and placed in an oven on which the binder is baked to makethe graphite absolutely im* pervious. The plate is then cooled, and con-- stitutes the positive or carbon electrode of the battery. .i

The result is a plate of which one side iscomposed ot the depolarizing mixture while the o'fher side is in -the form of a definite v distinct graphite plate.

Inthe drawing the two elements described. are marked respectively 1 for the depolarizing mixture plate and 2 for the graphite plate.

Thereafer a conducting coating is applied to the graphite plate. This may be done galvano plastically and the plate coated with copper.l This, however, is a process which requires extreme care complicated apparatus and cannot always b e carried lout' success- 70 fully. I have found that excellentl results are obtained. by applying a thin coatof a suitable binder 3 to the graphite and then press a sheet of conducting metal toil 4 onto the plate. The binder being `very thin, it is v'illustrated in'the drawing a heavy line 3. The toil may be ot' usual commercial thickness. As stated the foil is applied under pressure, tor instance by again placing the plate, in the mold, in order to obtain intimae contactbetween the graphite and the toil. v

As a modification, I-may use metal screen wire 5, see Fig. 3, for pressing the foil Ginto intimate contact with the graphite. It gives exiellent results.

The edges of the plate are then bound with paraffin to make it impervious.

Thereafter a piece oi' fabric 7 is laid on the depolarizing mixture plate and a paper trame 8 is placed over the edges of the cloth. Y

In order to cause the depolarizing mixture to respond to electrochemical action it must be moistened. lA solution of salammoniac and zinc chloride produces the desired eti'ect. The solution is conveniently applied to the fabric from which the solution then soaks into the depolarizing mixture plate.

The negative elena-ent ot the battery is in v the form of a dished plate ot zinc 9 whichvis filled with an electrolyte 10 in paste form for instance as corn starch, has been added to form a paste. zinc electrode serves as a convenient means mechanically for containing and applying the electrolyte. The flanges 11 of the zinc element fitsnugly against the separator element 8, that is the paper frame. The electrolytic paste also serves as a binding means between the fabric 7 and the zinc.

Thereafter the plate is finally sealed up by an edging 12 of parailin, wax or the like, which of course merges with the previous applications of like substances, hence the sealing member is designated as one element 12.

It will be clear from the foregoing description and the drawing, that a novel, greatly improved and highl eicient dry batter plate has been provi ed in accordance wit the invention, and also that a novel process or method of manufacture has been devised yin order to obtain quantity production and greater electrical capacity and eiiiciency.

The invention distinguishes over the prior art in providing a distinct separate graphite plate baked to. a hardness resulting in greater density, producing greater capacity per unit of volume and weight. The fabric serves as a separating means preventing disintegration of the depolarizing mixture.

The finished plate is of course a battery in itself. As many plates as may be required for a given output may be assembled, one

`plate alongside of the other, with the op- It will be noted that the division of my coending application Serial' I led August 14, 1923, for

Having thus described invention, what' I claim as new and desire to secure by' Letters Patent, is r 1. The method of making carbon elec- Atrodes of the character specified, which consists in first compressing a depolarizing mixture into plate form, then compressing a layer of impregnated graphite on top of said compressed plate of depolarizing mixture and thereafter baking and cooling the compressed plate.

2. The method of making carbon electrodes of the character specified, which consists in first compressing a depolarizing mixture into plate form, then compressing a layer of impregnated graphite on top of said compressed plate of depolarizing mixture, then baking and cooling the compressed plate and thereafter attaching a metallic coating to the said graphite layer.

3.4 The method of making a positive element for a galvanicbattery which consists in iirst cpmpressing a depolarizing mixture into plate form. then compressing a layer of impregnated graphite on top of said compressed plate of depolarizing mixture and thereafter coating the one side ot' said positive element with a conducting element.

'In testimony whereof I have signed my name to Athis specification.

HENRY M. nosnNnAL DAM. 

